The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1887-02-25

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IAture has closed. II waa composed Of
men who aimed to do their duty and
are conscious Of having done ". There
ara constitutional amendments 20 be
submitted TO the people ia November
next, amsng which is that respecling
salaries Of Judges, State officers and
Legislators, and that prohibiting The
manufacture aud aale OF spirituoua IL
quors 10 the State, knswn AS the prohi-
bition amendment There Is the re-
appertisn nent law that must be pub |
liahed to be understood. Il was basoa
on the census Of 1885, which was eaa |
incorrect ~ IL could DO possibly. Butt
this Law must stand and await the gov
ornment census of 1890 for correction.
Several Important BILLS were Lost for
want of time, in fact there was not o
great deal Of time given TO legislation.
Want Of evening sessions by both
houses towards the last was seriously
felt. When II is fully considered, there
was not an average OF thirty hours per
week given to legislation. Il may be
said this Ia MI for lhe hsst,as too much
legislation IL woree than to have too
little Speaking OF tho time We may
add farther: Some time Was claimed
for committees. Allow all the time
used, and this same amount OF work
could have bean done Ia twenty daya,m
the day was seven hours OF legislation
or perhaps six. When We consider that
the expenae OF this legislature amounts
to over $500 per day. exclusive of mile
age, we may estimate the expense for
forty days. When il comes to saving
money TO the State, ID would seem that
these members who were ever talking
economy should have made a point On
mora work and shorter time. The
work might have teen done in tweaty
davs If so ordered. But there IL an
other view Of thia matter. There should
he time for deIiberation even with the
committees. 0ae great point should be
Ito avoid legislation Is much as possible.
| And TO accomplish this, time aud in-
dustry are required. That the limit
will be filled as TO time, experiences
shows 10 be an arbitrary rule. No one
will leave before the forty days expire
And II IL said there are two hundred
bills that have failed TO pass In both
houses for want of lims, or either larger
daily sessions. Il may 10 justly said
that our legislature IL not paid enough.
Il would bs better 70 pay nephers 6
per day, and when their work Is done
adjourn. Have no limit az to time, but
make IL partisan question AZ to which
party would do the most snd better
work for the State in The least period
Of iime.
| Consistency 10 action Of a large de-
libsrate body shoald not be looked for.
Il may be said TO be- never found there.
Even here IL money vas refused TO build
enc wagon road it was appropriated for
another. II it was wrong to exempt
bonds from taxation for the purchase 81
water supply for city it was not so TO
EXEMPT bonds from taxation Tor build
ing a bridge. Ii IL sas unconstitution-
al TO raise the salaries Of ono clasa Of
Judges il wAg constitutional TO raise
Ihoss Of another class, under the same
constitutional provision. Ii one mem
be- could make three speeches against
a measure and than walk out 80 a. not
TO vote on is, and another member
could make tearing speech ia favor oi
q measure and then vote Agsiast il, We
are not surprised at The many inconsis-
tencies that run through dsliberate
bodice We have cited few cases for
Illustration.
| And this brings us to the last impor-
tant measured The tax bill was
amended to suit every one, and thea 1t
vas voted down. The swamp land bill
passed, but no new light was thrown
upon the subject. The $40 acre limit
or even 640 will prove a failure to the
State. The better way would be 10 de-
mand the money due, the eighty per
cent, within the year from swamp land
owners, ard close the thing up: They
will have al the land they need il they
have to purchase Il in the names of
others. Hence the Ssate shonId waste
no time in getting the money for these
lands, amounting TO near 81 y000, 900,
and open them up for taxation. On
the heels Of the presen. legislation comes
. decision from Judge DeAdy that the
swamp land aot lapsed, hence there is no
swamp land ownsd by the State. In
this opinion 10 the case Of Pengra ".
Munz, We fail to see why this question
should have entered iato 1t. The prsm-
ises laid down By the Court would give
the land to the plaintiff, whether the
land was swamp or agricultural land
selected since the giant Sin pressnti~
was made to the wagon road. Eyen IL
tho land was swamp and the validity
Of the grant was beyond question, accord
ing to the opinion of the Court, If the
wagon road grant attached before the
land was selected as swamp the plaintiff
womld recovor the land. The State
having located this wagon road grant it
could not afterwards distrust its title
and permit another rArty to purchase
the land Of the State. But when the
Court goes farther aud attacks the
swamp land grant ard states that this
swamp land grant was made to the
State on conditions prscedent, aid that
these conditions were never complied
with, hence this grant lapsed, Ii pre-
scnts new and wonderful aspect tc
the swamp land business This point
has been long disputed, diyested Of its
plauSibility and put at test as II was
supposed. We have only time to re-
mark that this opinion on this cne
point il confronted by opinions Of some
Of the ablest Jurists, Attorney Gener-
ais and Land officers of the u. S., who
have had this subject before them. And